Inside the New York Yankees clubhouse with MLB.com beat writer Bryan Hoch.

Game 92: Yankees vs. Blue Jays

TORONTO — This should be interesting.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi chose Sunday as the day he’d shake up his lineup and give a few more guys a break from the field surface here at Rogers Centre. So, what we have is quite the afternoon delight — Eduardo Nunez fielding grounders at shortstop, Jorge Posada catching his throws at first base, and an all-turf field surrounding them.

Derek Jeter has the day off, Mark Teixeira is in as the designated hitter and Ramiro Pena gets his fifth start of the season at third base. But all our eyes will be on Phil Hughes, who makes his second start since returning from the disabled list.

Pregame, the Yankees switched outfielders, with lefty hitter Chris Dickerson returning and right-handed hitter Greg Golson being sent down to the Minor Leagues with the Yankees facing more righties in the coming days.

* The Yankees are 34-18 (a .654 winning percentage) since May 17, marking the second-best record in the Majors over that stretch. Only the Red Sox (35-16) have a better mark since then.

* New York is a Major League-best 27-5 in day games this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only team to win at least 27 of their first 32 day games in a season was the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955.

* Nunez has driven in 16 runs this season, eight of which have tied the game or given the Yankees the lead.

39 Comments

RGK…Yes I am near Viera about 10 miles away, about 30 minutes from the Mets…2 hours from the Yankees in Tampa….You live close to where I used to live…I lived in Hightstown about 30 minutes from Lakewood and Trenton….I also have a house in Pa that we will be trucking to soon…about 30 minutes from Scranton…hoping to catch AAA yanks there a game or 2 …BTW…If you ever get a chance to move somewhere or get a second home, you have to come to Florida….like 9 months of the most beautiful weather you will ever experience…July and August it averages 91 so I threw those months out…lol…March spring training is a blast….75 degrees…just awesome here…glad I escaped NJ, though I have lots of friends there still..

Hey I’ve been beating my drum the last few weeks about Tex and his poor hitting and loss of power. It really seemed to me he is uncomfortable at the plate and swinging at bad pitches. Just noticed that Long is working with Tex on his timing. Long figures Tex’s timing is off and that is why is average is so low and he’s not connecting with the ball more effectively. I’m no genius but it’s interesting when I’ve been saying that Long needs to work with Tex on his mechanics that it now looks like he is. Hope it helps. Becdause we need hi power in the lineup down the stretch to keep pitchers honest , especially with ARod out of the lineup for 4 weeks.

RGK it is…But no..I’m in Florida on the East Coast and I need the extra innings package to watch the teams I’m used to…mainly the Yankees…but I like the Nats also..it is really good to watch all the teams and I think it gives you a good prospective of how good all the teams are and also their weaknesses…I follow the Nats some because I am near their spring training complex and can get to the Park in like 5 minutes…

So you should be near Viera?
I’m still in NJ so I get to see Low A Charleston when they visit the Lakewood Blue Claws (about 10 minutes away) and I run over to Trenton (about 45 minutes) for five or six Thunder Double A games a year. Great to see the kids!

Great series by Gardner…Toronto announcers were complimenting his play…10 hits…3…3 hit games…sb’s, ( i think he has 12 in a row1), another assist from the outfield, always in scoring position…best left fielder in the AL on defense and I watch all the games, I have the extra innings package….he covers loads of ground and changes the game when he gets on…pitch outs…fastballs to granderson or jeter…i think he now has the 2nd best ave on the team at .286!!! BRETT THE JET

Why would the opposition worry about setting up a shiftfor Tex? He doesn’t do any with the ball but strike out and pop out. And other pop out to the outfield. As I’ve been saying over and over and no one in management is listening. “Take Tex out for a few games and go over his mechanics with him and hope he can be straightened out. How may outs does Girardi put up with before he realizes something is seriously wrong that needs attention or this could go one indefiitely. Man if we could ever trade Tex for Gonzales straight up it would be a steal for us. The Sox wouldn’t be that stupid I guess..

Nunez take some wild swings. Looks to me like he’s swinging too hard. He almost swings right out of his jock. Better with less movement and more even stroke. Hit for singles or doubles and not try to hit it out of the park every time. he’s not a power hitter to try to do that. Let’s hope a 4 run lead will do it.

A pretty soft bottom of the Yankee lineup today. They’re going to have to scratch and claw to put together enough runs and the pitchers are going to have to limit the Jays runs. Robbie wins the home run derby but when it comes to regular games he isn’t near as prolific. Strange how he can show such power consistently pitch to pitch but in a real ball game he doesn’t see to display the same power. I think Hughes is on a short leash now..

Tex pops out. Only confirms what I already said. He needs some help and real soon if he’s going to contribute to the Yankees offense down the stretch. It’s been a disaster for the past few weeks for a guy with his history and salary.

I think they should rest Tex for a few games and have him work with Long on his swing. Something is drastically off. He’s lost the power and he can’t even get a hit in key situations. he is striking out way too much.

Not so good Robert in the 2nd. They’re starting to hit him and steal on him. What kind of a lineup is this trying to break even on the series? Pena, Nunez, Posada at 1st and a pitcher coming back from a long rehab. It’s got to be a miracle for this team to hope to get a win today. I don’t feel a lot of confidence going into this game today that the outcome is going to be in the Yankees favor.

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